Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology (Sep 2017)

Identifying the nature of surface chemical modification for directed self-assembly of block copolymers

  • Laura Evangelio,
  • Federico Gramazio,
  • Matteo Lorenzoni,
  • Michaela Gorgoi,
  • Francisco Miguel Espinosa,
  • Ricardo García,
  • Francesc Pérez-Murano,
  • Jordi Fraxedas

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3762/bjnano.8.198
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 1
pp. 1972 – 1981

Abstract

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In recent years, block copolymer lithography has emerged as a viable alternative technology for advanced lithography. In chemical-epitaxy-directed self-assembly, the interfacial energy between the substrate and each block copolymer domain plays a key role on the final ordering. Here, we focus on the experimental characterization of the chemical interactions that occur at the interface built between different chemical guiding patterns and the domains of the block copolymers. We have chosen hard X-ray high kinetic energy photoelectron spectroscopy as an exploration technique because it provides information on the electronic structure of buried interfaces. The outcome of the characterization sheds light onto key aspects of directed self-assembly: grafted brush layer, chemical pattern creation and brush/block co-polymer interface.

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